Conviction
by Suspicious Popsicle
Summary: Flynn finds himself enamored with Yuri to the point of distraction and sets out to solve the problem and find himself a happy ending, but Yuri doesn't seem to agree that a happy ending is how the story is supposed to go. Set post-game. Fluri. T rating for language and some stuff later on, just in case.
1. Taking that thought

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble. My friend and I had been talking about Yuri's outfit, and I started to write a little piece about Flynn being obsessed with Yuri's chest and it got away from me. Far, far away from me. I don't know what happened.

I'm making a few assumptions because I couldn't remember certain details that play into the story:

1. Ioder was informed about Yuri's murder of Ragou and Cumore (personally, I don't count Cumore as a murder—Yuri's only guilty of not saving him) and pardoned Yuri at the end of the game

2. Sodia did not find out about the murders until _after_ Yuri was pardoned at the end of the game.

3. Yuri rents a room above The Comet. (My friend assures me that this is true, but I get lost when a character turns around in game, so I'm mentioning it here in case anyone else is like me.)

Written in 3rd person limited, switching back and forth from Flynn to Yuri's perspective on events.

Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

Flynn was certain Yuri did it on purpose.

Well, obviously he did it on purpose, but there was a purpose behind his reason for doing it, and that was what had Flynn so distracted.

One of the things that had him distracted, at least.

One of the things that irritated him.

Yuri was lounging against the wall next to the window, seemingly oblivious to Flynn's agitation. He was being quiet, for once, just standing there and watching the snow fall outside. His hair and clothes were damp with it after he'd scaled the wall to climb in through Flynn's window. Again.

Even from his seat at his desk, Flynn could feel the chill seeping in through the glass. He could barely focus on the paperwork he'd been trying to complete before Yuri had arrived, dusted with snow, chest heaving with exertion, and grinning that stupid, cocky, wonderful grin of his.

The part about Yuri's grin being wonderful was new and it worried Flynn a little.

Yuri had to be cold. People didn't just wander around dressed the way he was in the dead of winter. He didn't look cold, but he was standing right next to the window, had been out in the storm, wasn't even trying to warm up, and _his goddamn shirt was unbuttoned_.

Who went out in weather like this without at least buttoning his shirt? Yuri had to have a reason for it, though Flynn was at a loss as to what that reason might be. It couldn't be for comfort. It certainly wasn't for fashion. It wasn't carelessness, because Yuri wasn't careless. It wasn't simply him being self-destructive again either, because that at least always served some greater purpose. Even if it was sometimes illegal. Or foolish. Flynn wondered, absurdly, if Yuri did it for him.

He had to know how distracting it was. Every time Flynn caught a glimpse of him there was that pale expanse of (deceptively soft) skin, that casual exposure of Yuri's chest (strong chest, protecting a strong heart), those thin layers of fabric practically begging to be pushed aside, down his shoulders, out of the way for—

Flynn derailed that increasingly common train of thought with a sigh and rubbed a hand over his face. It was getting worse. Thoughts like those had never bothered him so much before, but now, after all they'd been through, after everything Yuri had said and done, after all their fights, after everything Yuri hadn't said, hadn't done, after _Zaude_…now, it was different, somehow.

Yuri was still just Yuri. He hadn't changed, really. In retrospect, Flynn could see the path he had chosen stretching straight back to their childhood together in the lower quarter. Yuri hadn't changed, but the way Flynn thought of him had.

"What's the matter? The great Flynn Scifo undone by some troop reassignment requests?"

Yuri had appeared beside him, one hand on Flynn's shoulder as he leaned over the desk, inspecting the papers, his damnable shirt hanging off his frame, exposing shadowy planes of muscle. Flynn caught himself reaching, turned the gesture into an attempt to snatch away the paper Yuri held, and wondered how, exactly, he was going to survive being in love with his best friend.

"Maybe you don't have anything better to do today, Yuri, but I do. I'm trying to work."

"You aren't trying very hard. You've been staring at the same page since I got here." Yuri's smirk crinkled the corners of his eyes, made them glitter, made Flynn fumble for an excuse.

"That's because you're distracting me." _Oops. Probably not the best excuse._

"How? I'm not even doing anything."

"Your presence is distracting."

"Since when? You never seemed to have trouble ignoring me in the past." He was annoyed now, looking for an argument to vent his frustration. Fighting was almost always Yuri's approach to problem solving.

"If you don't have a reason to be here, then please leave."

"Why should I need a reason to visit you?"

"Yuri, you're wasting my time." He didn't mean that, he just needed more time to sort out his feelings, figure out how to convey them. He added, guiltily: "And you're acting like an idiot, running around like that and climbing the palace walls in a snowstorm. What are you going to do if you get sick?"

"I guess I'll just have to put up with you saying 'I told you so.' Jeez, Flynn, what's your problem today?"

_You. And your chest. And the fact that I keep wanting to slip my hands inside your shirt and—_ "I'm just busy." Flynn sighed. It was the truth, but…. "Why don't you come back later this evening?"

"Can't. The whole gang's actually back in town. We're all meeting up at The Comet. I'd stopped in to see if you wanted to join us." He toyed with a paperweight, glanced at Flynn out of the corner of his eye.

The invitation left Flynn feeling ridiculously pleased. He hadn't been a part of the group that saved the world from the Adephagos and so really had no business being there…except Yuri wanted him to come. It had only been very recently that Yuri wanted to be around him at all. He supposed that no longer being a wanted criminal probably made it easier for his friend to enjoy his company. At some point, Flynn _had_ forgiven him for what he'd done, though he would argue until the end of his days that Yuri had been in the wrong.

"I'd be happy to join you…_after_ I finish my work." Flynn crossed to a wardrobe on the other side of the room and selected a long, deep blue wool coat, which he offered to Yuri. "Here, put this on when you go back out. I'll catch up later."

A dissatisfied expression flashed across Yuri's face, but he pulled on the coat and turned to the window.

"Don't even think about it, Yuri. I like that coat. You can leave like a normal human being for once."

Flynn waited until the door was shut and he could hear Yuri's footsteps receding down the hall before muttering under his breath: "And button up your shirt before I jump you."


	2. and setting it aside

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble. My friend and I had been talking about Yuri's outfit, and I started to write a little piece about Flynn being obsessed with Yuri's chest and it got away from me. Far, far away from me. I don't know what happened.

I'm making a few assumptions because I couldn't remember certain details that play into the story:

1. Ioder was informed about Yuri's murder of Ragou and Cumore (personally, I don't count Cumore as a murder—Yuri just didn't save him) and pardoned Yuri at the end of the game

2. Sodia did not find out about the murders until _after_ Yuri was pardoned at the end of the game.

3. Yuri rents a room above The Comet. (My friend assures me that this is true, but I get lost when a character turns around in game, so I'm mentioning it here in case anyone else is like me.)

Written in 3rd person limited, switching back and forth from Flynn to Yuri's perspective on events.

Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

Feeling completely out of place in the palace, Yuri defiantly took his time leaving and made sure to smirk at any member of the guard that he recognized from his numerous brushes with the Knights. Sneaking through with a mission was all well and good, but casually dropping in for a visit felt bizarre. Yes, he'd been pardoned, and yes, he'd saved the world, but the palace was definitely not his turf and he was well aware of that fact.

He wouldn't have taken the coat, would have left the way he came, except Flynn was right; it was way too cold out now that it had started snowing, and he'd forgotten his own coat at home. The blue one he wore now smelled faintly of earth and the stables and Flynn, and made him feel slightly more at ease in the palace. Not that he would ever admit that.

It was more than just the presence of the Council and the Imperial Knights that turned what should have been a beautiful work of architecture into something unpleasant. Yuri hated the chill in the air that never seemed to fade, even in summer, hated the way his footsteps echoed too loud in the corridors, hated the way everything was so _still_. The place was like a damned mausoleum. If Flynn could improve the Knights and Ioder could do something about the Council, then maybe one day the palace would become a crypt for the corruption that had been smothering the empire, rather than a symbol of it.

When Yuri finally left the palace behind, he very carefully did not sigh in relief. He looked back over his shoulder at the towers, knowing he couldn't see Flynn's room from the front. Visiting was always easier when he wasn't an official guest.

Flynn had been…weird today. He'd been fidgety and unfocused. Yuri had watched him carefully without seeming to—he was good at that—and Flynn had kept sneaking glances at him.

"If I didn't know better, I'd almost think he was checking me out." Yuri realized he was grinning over that thought and stopped.

"Oh, no. I've been through this before. It is _not_ a good idea." A 'whuff' at his side alerted him to Repede's presence and he reached down to scratch between his ears. "You agree with me, don't you?"

Repede eyed him with something that looked an awful lot like disdain and trotted off, leaving Yuri to hurry to keep pace.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? It _is_ a bad idea! Flynn's…I mean, he's…and I'm…." Yuri sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It wouldn't work. And he doesn't need the distraction. And it's not like Flynn's interested anyway. It's a moot point, so shut up." Repede kindly kept his opinion to himself.

"Let's go meet up with everyone."


	3. Lowered Inhibitions

A/N:

Sorry for the confusion!  
I've been having a hard time interpreting the rating system, and I thought the mods might come after me or something if used a rating that was too low, so I went with 'M' just in case. I changed it, since I didn't think it would end up being that bad, and my friend didn't think so, and a reviewer said it wasn't that bad (which it isn't, but things will pick up eventually).

Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

It was dark long before Flynn had finished his work and left the palace. Snow was still falling over Zaphias, and the streets were largely empty. Every now and again, Flynn chanced across one of his knights on patrol and nodded in acknowledgement. He allowed himself a small moment of pride over the changes he'd made during the short time he'd been Commandant. It would be slow going, but things would get better. The world he and Yuri had dreamed of as children was waiting to be realized.

Pausing for a moment outside The Comet, he looked up at the sky, watching soft, white flakes drift down out of the darkness like so many falling stars. He was reminded again of Yuri's eyes glittering in the warm light of his office, of Yuri's hair, dark and glossy like ravens' wings.

His thoughts were painfully interrupted as Yuri came stumbling out of the tavern and collided with him, knocking them both to the freezing cobbles. Flushed and laughing, Yuri picked himself up and grinned down at Flynn.

"Hey, you're just in time! Come on, Judy's defending my honor!"

Yuri dashed back inside, and Flynn caught a few seconds of the noise and confusion of a bar fight before the door swung shut. He shook his head and decided he'd been reading too much poetry. Glittering eyes and ravens' wings, hah! Yuri was a damned tornado.

Inside, Judith was not, in fact, defending anyone's honor. She was leaning calmly against the wall, watching Yuri wade gleefully into the fray to wreak havoc as only he seemed able to do. Flynn made his way to her side, carefully avoiding getting entangled in the melee.

Judith smiled at him as he approached. "Good to see you could join us, Commandant."

"What's this I hear about you defending Yuri's honor?"

She didn't laugh, but amusement twinkled in her eyes. The expression was eerily similar to Yuri's grin and Flynn wondered just how alike the two were.

"Oh, I just helped a drunk realize exactly how big a mistake he made when he grabbed Yuri's ass."

"He what?" Immediately, Flynn turned back to the fight, seeking out his friend. Yuri was in his element; punching and ducking, weaving through the press of bodies with more grace than should have been possible in such a situation. It was only when someone tugged on his arm that Flynn could tear his gaze away.

"Lady Estellise!" His training took hold and he moved to shield her from the fighting. "We should get you out of here."

"Flynn, it's fine. It looks like things are calming down now. Besides, some of them may need my help once it's all over."

"Estelle, there's no need to waste your time healing those idiots." Rita Mordio had turned up at Estellise's side, scowling at the brawl that was indeed winding down. "Honestly, we came here to catch up, and that moron goes and picks a fight with the entire tavern! It'd serve him right if we left him here and went somewhere quiet."

"Why don't we all go back to our table," Judith suggested. "I'm sure Yuri will join us shortly."

She herded everyone back to a table that had remained untouched by the fight only because Karol stood in front of it to knock away anyone who came too close. The coat Flynn had loaned to Yuri was safely draped over a chair. The group took their seats and chatted as the noise of the brawl died down.

Flynn had to fight back the urge to turn and check on Yuri every few seconds. That was new, too. He knew full well that Yuri could take care of himself. A bar fight shouldn't even register as a concern. A waitress had brought by a round of drinks and Flynn tossed his back irritably just as Yuri appeared and dropped into the seat next to him.

"Did I miss anything?" He was in high spirits, despite having a split lip and what looked like the beginnings of a black eye. His shirt was ripped open down to his navel.

Despite his best intentions, Flynn couldn't help admiring the display of toned muscle. He frowned a little as he noticed a scar, just visible in the 'v' of exposed skin over Yuri's ribs. The wound was relatively new and looked suspiciously like it had been inflicted with a blade. Flynn resolved to ask about it later.

Estellise fussed over Yuri and healed his wounds before leaving to check up on the people unfortunate enough to have been Yuri's opponents. Rita followed her as a matter of course and, when Flynn looked to Yuri, wordlessly questioning the prickly mage's attachment to the princess, Yuri just smiled ambiguously and shrugged.

The next few hours were pleasantly uneventful, with Rita's temper being the biggest threat to the peace that had settled over the tavern, Everyone took turns trading news on the projects they'd been working on, new developments between the Union and the Empire, or taking potshots at Raven. Yuri laughed and joked and teased Karol. It was a side of him Flynn hadn't seen in years, and he caught himself staring more than once. Oh, he had it bad. Judging by the looks Judith shot him every now and again, she realized that, too.

_So what if she knows?_ The thought came to him out of the blue. _So what if everyone knows? Who cares? He's my best friend and he's beautiful and he saved the world. Why shouldn't I be in love with him?_

His tankard was empty again. When had that happened? He was certain he'd seen a barmaid only a minute ago. He seemed to remember her coming by a few times, actually.

"Flynn, you okay?" Yuri's hand was resting on his shoulder. Flynn stared at it for a moment, followed the line of Yuri's arm to his chest. He hadn't fixed his shirt.

It was suddenly very warm in the tavern. Flynn swallowed hard and stood up.

"Yuri, can I talk to you, please?" He didn't wait to see if his friend would follow him outside, just trusted him to be there a step behind.

The cold night air hit Flynn like a bucket of ice water as he traded the close heat of The Comet for a frozen side street empty of passersby. Before he could lose his nerve, he turned to Yuri, pushed him up against the wall, and kissed him. Slipping his hands into Yuri's shirt felt just as he'd imagined, warm flesh marred by old scars beneath his fingers, cloth tickling the backs of his hands. It slid off Yuri's shoulders easily and he felt his friend shiver.

Flynn broke the kiss with a sigh, but let his hands continue to wander over Yuri's skin. "Been wanting to do that all day," he murmured.

"Flynn?" Yuri's voice was higher than usual. He moved suddenly, sidling away and shrugging back into his shirt. "I think you may be drunk."

"I'm in love with you."

"Now I _know_ you're drunk. Let's get you home."

When Yuri moved to grab his arm, Flynn shook him off and blocked the way back to the palace. "Answer me."

"You haven't asked me a question."

Flynn thought back over the conversation, and acknowledged the truth in that. "Do you love me?"

"I'd love to get you home before you make an even bigger idiot out of yourself."

"How am I making an idiot out of myself? What's wrong with being in love with you?" He reached to pull Yuri close for another kiss, but Yuri ducked away.

"What isn't wrong with it?" he muttered. "I'm not above knocking you out and carrying you home. Damn. Since when do you need me to keep an eye on you?"

"Yuri, I'm not drunk, I'm just…." So maybe he'd had a little more than usual, but that didn't make him drunk, and it wasn't an excuse for Yuri to dismiss him. "I'm serious," he said, softly.

"Go home, Flynn." Yuri strode off, disappearing into the night and leaving Flynn alone to wonder how he was going to fix the mess he'd just created.


	4. One of Those Days

A/N: There is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to my favorite Ataris song in this chapter. Catch it and you will automatically be one of my favorite people.

Yuri's chapters will get longer eventually. It's just that the way I write him, he apparently runs away from (what he deems) inconvenient feelings. Get back here and put some love into it, dammit!

Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

_I'm never going to hear the end of this._ Yuri scowled at his reflection until a sneezing fit broke his solo staring contest. He coughed and took a gulp of tea in an attempt to burn away the uncomfortable feeling in his throat.

Repede huffed. It _might_ have been an attempt to convey sympathy, but Yuri was pretty sure the dog was laughing at him. He was on Flynn's side way too often for someone who never spoke.

"I can't believe I actually caught a cold. I bet it's because that idiot stuck his tongue down my throat. Jeez, I thought he could hold his drink better than that."

His cheeks were warm because of the cold. He wasn't blushing at the memory of that kiss at all. It didn't actually mean anything, anyway. It was nothing more than drunk sincerity. Flynn probably wouldn't even remember.

With a quiet bark, Repede got up from his place at the foot of the bed and trotted over to the window. Wondering what had caught his attention, Yuri peered down at the street and almost dropped his mug as he picked out Flynn heading straight his way carrying….

"Are those _flowers_?" He exchanged looks with Repede who had nothing helpful to say. "You have got to be kidding me. He wasn't serious!" He lost sight of Flynn, but soon caught the sound of heavy boots on the stairs leading up to his room.

"To hell with this," he muttered. "There's no way he's catching me with a cold after last night." Snatching up his sword, Yuri opened the window and vaulted down to the street. He could hear Flynn knocking at his door as he took off into the city.


	5. Intentions

A/N: Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

The lilies might have been a bit much. Yuri hadn't reacted well last night, so Flynn had thought it best to make his intentions clear first thing in the morning, do away with any misunderstandings. He'd bought the flowers because that was what you were supposed to do when you were…well, when you were courting someone, although he wasn't really courting Yuri, it was more like…. Well, he wasn't _courting_ him, that was for certain.

He didn't pause on his way up the stairs or outside the door, didn't want to give himself an opening to change his mind and call the whole thing off. He wasn't even sure if Yuri was interested, though if he was, an awful lot of times when he'd thought Yuri couldn't possibly have been flirting suddenly made a whole lot more sense.

Thinking about that didn't really help, because it made him wonder why, if Yuri loved him, he'd never said anything about it.

Flynn knocked on the door. There was silence for a moment before he heard Repede bark softly. The door was unlocked—Yuri always left it unlocked—and Flynn let himself in. He'd come early, before most people would be eating breakfast even, because he'd wanted to be sure to catch Yuri. Unfortunately, it seemed he was still too late. Repede was the only one in the room. He set the lilies on the bed and knelt to scratch the dog.

"Is he going to be gone long, do you suppose?"

Repede snorted.

"I'll take that as a yes."

With a sigh, he moved restlessly around the tiny room, making the bed and straightening the papers on the desk. The tea Yuri had left was still warm. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. Tidying up didn't take him long, particularly since Yuri's extended stays in Dahngrest meant he had moved a fair amount of his possessions to the room he used at Brave Vesperia's headquarters.

Estellise had certainly chosen an apt name for that guild. She, the Child of the Full Moon. and Yuri, who she loved like a brother, had saved the world from the Adephagos. It left an uneasy feeling in Flynn's stomach the more he considered it, as if Yuri would one day fly far out of his reach, just like his guild's namesake.

Flynn shook off the odd mood that had settled over him. Things would be clearer once he'd had a chance to talk to Yuri. He'd already made up his mind about what he wanted, though he had to admit that alcohol had been a deciding factor in acting on it the previous evening. That hadn't been how he'd wanted to tell Yuri, but it was done, and all he could do was try to prove his sincerity and make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.

Smiling, he sat down on the bed. Things would work out, somehow. They had been together forever, and he couldn't begin to imagine a future without Yuri climbing through his window to visit or picking a fight for no good reason or just being out there, fighting to save the world. No matter where they were, or how much distance separated them, Flynn carried Yuri with him in his heart, always. He hoped his friend did the same.

He yawned suddenly as his late night caught up with him. He hadn't been able to sleep after returning to his room at the palace, replaying his kiss and subsequent confession over and over in his head, criticizing and reliving the moment in turn, relishing the memory of his hands on warm skin, Yuri's scent—snow and sweat, spices, blood, and, more recently, burnt tallow—and that kiss that had been so awkward and so…right.

It was early still. No one at the palace would be looking for him until after breakfast. He could afford to wait a little while for Yuri and grab a pastry from one of the street vendors on the way back to the palace. Moving the flowers carefully out of the way, Flynn lay back on the bed.

"Would you wake me if Yuri doesn't show up in an hour?"

Repede huffed.

"Thanks." Flynn sighed, settled himself more comfortably, and drifted off to sleep.


	6. Stirring the Pot

A/N: Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

Life had always been just a little more difficult for citizens living in the lower quarter, but ever since the loss of the blastia, things had been getting worse. Money that could have been spent on food, clothes, or an education was now burned away in candles and oil lamps. Everything was more expensive without blastia power to help create goods. Even transporting things from city to city cost more, as fewer people were willing or able to face off against monsters without blastia to help them fight. Taxes had increased as well. People who had savings were dipping into them to pay bills. People with nothing to fall back on were sinking into debt.

Living was more expensive. Living was more difficult. Things had _changed_.

Yuri could sense the discontent festering in this part of the city-_his_ city-and it worried him. If things didn't change again soon, for the better this time, there was going to be trouble.

"Yuri! What's a layabout like you doing up this early?"

Hanks was standing in front of the fountain, grinning and looking perfectly at ease despite his breath appearing as white clouds in the freezing morning air.

"What about you, old timer? Shouldn't you be resting those old bones someplace warm?"

"Don't you worry, I've got plenty of fire in me yet."

They stood together in silence for a moment, contemplating the still fountain. Without the blastia to regulate it, the water had been stopped. It left the square oddly quiet.

"Hard to believe it all started with a missing blastia."

Yuri looked sharply at him, but Hanks was staring calmly at the dry fountain.

"You go tearing off after a blastia thief only to show up weeks later when everything's gone to hell, then you're off again after that Alexei fellow and no one sees hide nor hair of you until after the blastia quit working all at once and that horrible thing disappears out of the sky.  
"The powers that be haven't seen fit to give us the truth about what all went on, but people talk. I don't know what happened to the blastia, and I don't know how that monster was defeated. I can make some guesses, though, and I don't think I'm the only one who'll come to the same conclusions."

Finally, Hanks looked up to meet Yuri's stare. "Flynn and the Council stay cooped up in the castle, so they don't have much to worry about from some lower quarter malcontents, but Yuri…watch your back. No one's happy about the situation we're in, and things are only getting worse. People are going to be looking for a scapegoat. I'd hate to see you on the wrong side of an angry mob."

"I didn't know you cared."

"Be flippant if you like, just remember what I said. See you around."

Hanks ambled off, his movements a bit stiffer, a bit slower than Yuri remembered. The old timer was a fixture of the lower quarter and Yuri couldn't imagine the place without him, but he wouldn't live forever. This winter had barely begun and was already shaping up to be a harsh one, and the strain of living in a world turned on its ear would only make things more difficult. It would be a hard year.

Yuri turned his back on the fountain, on the eerie quiet, on his depressing thoughts. Everything would be fine. Flynn would talk sense into the Council, he'd come up with something to diffuse the tensions in the lower quarter.

He couldn't return to his room yet, wasn't sure if Flynn would have left, didn't want to run into him. Instead, he killed time strolling through side streets and back alleys until the market opened. He bought carrots, celery, eggs, flour, and a chicken and turned back to The Comet. The owner allowed him to use the kitchen, provided he occasionally made enough to share with the woman and her family. The day seemed tailor made for chicken soup.

Cooking was simple and familiar. It was something he enjoyed doing that allowed him to relax and forget about stupid worries. He prepared the chicken and chopped the vegetables and set them to boiling with some seasonings while he wondered how long it would be before Fortune's Market contacted Brave Vesperia again for a job transporting cargo between cities. He mixed egg, flour, and water, rolled out the dough, and cut long strips of noodles while he considered the strength of their bargaining position. Kaufmann had put what notice she had before the loss of blastia to good use and begun making preparations immediately, with the result that Fortune's Market was making a killing in the new economy. The guild could afford to pay well for protection against the monsters, and Yuri could think of plenty of ways his share of the money could be put to good use. Maybe the citizens of the lower quarter would turn on him like Hanks suggested, maybe they wouldn't. Either way, Yuri wouldn't abandon his city after he'd been responsible for upsetting everyone's lives so drastically.

He tipped the noodles into the pot and cleaned up the kitchen. Finished with that and left with a few hours to kill before the soup would be ready, Yuri washed his hands and ventured back out into the cold. There were more people on the streets now as the city woke up, and he walked through the crowds without destination, just watching and listening, gauging the mood of the lower quarter and ignoring the chill seeping into his bones.


	7. Told You So

A/N: Flynn, you should not have asked Repede to wake you up. He is not an alarm clock. He is a dog. And he thinks all this nonsense is kind of funny, but largely stupid.

Um...I'm not very good at talking to people, even through the internet, so I don't respond directly to comments and reviews as often as I should. I really wanted to say thank you though, to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. I appreciate it. :)

Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

The heavy fall of footsteps woke Flynn moments before Yuri shouldered open the door, holding two bowls of something that steamed and smelled delicious.

"Repede, I brought—Flynn? What the hell are you still doing here?"

"Sorry, I just—wait, 'still?'" Frowning, Flynn stood up to face his friend. "Yuri, how long have you known I was here? What time is it?"

He looked outside at the sun shining full and bright down on the icy streets and realized it was past noon and he was late. Damn. Well, a few more minutes wouldn't hurt at that point.

Flynn's stomach took the opportunity to inform the room at large that he was, in fact, quite hungry and that a bowl of that soup would be greatly appreciated.

"Here. I'll go get another one." Yuri offered his own bowl. His fingers were cold as ice and Flynn nearly dropped the soup in shock at the sudden chill.

"You're freezing! What the hell have you been doing?" He set the bowl aside and pushed Yuri into the room's only chair, which wasn't just an excuse to touch his chest where he'd left his shirt unbuttoned again. Looking closer, he noticed the flush across Yuri's cheeks, the unusual glassiness of his eyes.

"You idiot, did you actually catch a cold?" He turned to rifle through the wardrobe, more frustrated than he should have been, but it was just so _stupid_. "I know you own a coat. What I don't understand is why you can't seem to wear it."

He found the coat and went to drape it over his friend's shoulders. Yuri was eating the soup he'd offered to Flynn moments before.

"Flynn, shut up. It's not like I'd been planning on going out."

"So you _did_ run away from me!"

"Well, what the hell did you expect, showing up first thing in the morning after last night? And with flowers!"

"I was trying to make up for it. I want to do this properly."

Yuri rubbed a hand over his face. "You can't be serious. Since when do you know anything about this kind of stuff anyway?"

Affronted, Flynn blurted out: "I'm not entirely inexperienced, you know."

That seemed to surprise Yuri, though the only indication was a pause before he slurped down another bite. "You've been with someone before, then?" he asked.

"Haven't you?"

"Of course not! Who else would I do that with? Why are we talking about this, anyway?" He picked up the bowl and chugged the soup.

"Yuri…do you realize what you just said?" He had to. Why else would he look so discomfited?

"Flynn, I swear if that hand touches my cheek I will punch you."

He hadn't even realized he'd been reaching out, but Flynn took the warning to heart and let his hand fall to his side. Maybe it was enough for now to know that Yuri was harboring some more-than-friendly feelings of his own. His reason for denying them could wait until Flynn had the time to drag it out of him.

"I've got to go. Sodia will be looking for me." He didn't miss how Yuri's expression darkened a fraction at her name and he wondered what personal slight she'd inflicted that actually managed to garner a reaction.

"Get some rest." He patted Yuri's shoulder and left him there with his thoughts.


	8. Under the Weather

A/N: Does anyone else find the Tweedle A and B thing as annoying as I do?

I got a comment from someone who didn't think Yuri was handling the situation well, and I agree to a point. If it were anyone else, Yuri would have nipped this in the bud. There are complications with it being Flynn, though. Yuri (mostly) has his reasons and they'll come to light in a chapter or two.

Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

Flynn was a stubborn bastard. He would have to be, to have put up with Yuri for so long. Still, there should have been limits to stubbornness, and when he showed up at Yuri's door the next day and shoved a poem at him in some sort of terrifyingly misguided romantic gesture, Yuri felt he had really crossed a line.

"You wrote me a poem?"

"For the last time, yes! Just read the damn thing, will you?"

"Sheesh, way to ruin the mood, Flynn."

It was almost comical. Flynn, steady-as-an-arrow Flynn, was actually getting his feathers all in a ruffle over a love poem. He was pacing and sighing and couldn't seem to figure out what to do with his hands and was making a general nuisance of himself. Eventually, his agitation got the best of Yuri who ordered him to sit down and shut up. Flynn obeyed, but his restlessness just drained down into one leg and set it to bouncing, boot tapping endlessly against the floor.

It would have been funny except Yuri felt about the same way and was doing everything he could to keep it from showing.

He finished the poem, read it again, and wondered for the thousandth time what the hell Flynn was thinking. There was no possible way this could end well.

"What does ringing a bell have to do with anything?" he asked finally.

"I don't know. It's symbolic, or something. You know I'm not very good at this sort of thing."

"So why bother?"

"Because you won't take me seriously. I spoke with Lady Estellise and she thought this would be a good way to convey my feelings."

"You told Estelle?" The paper crumpled in Yuri's grip.

"Not about us specifically. I just needed some help. When I suggested yesterday that I had experience, I wasn't being entirely truthful. I understand the part after the declarations and flowers well enough, it's getting there that has me stumped."

"That's kind of pathetic. Should you really be telling me this?"

"I'm sure it's painfully obvious anyway. What about you? You haven't given me a reason we can't be together."

"What makes you think I want to in the first place?"

"You never said otherwise. Normally, wouldn't you just say flat out that you don't love me, and be done with it? I know you aren't afraid of hurting my feelings."

Yuri had considered that, actually, thought about simply telling Flynn straight to his face that he didn't love him and there was no chance he ever would. Unfortunately, he had never been able to lie convincingly to Flynn. Doing that would be tantamount to declaring his feelings, and then he'd have to explain exactly why he could never give in to those feelings.

All of that made Yuri want to punch something, preferably something that could fight back. Feelings were slippery and complicated and weren't, on the whole, a great deal of help when it came down to doing what needed to be done. Fists—or swords, for that matter—were straight and to the point. You knew where you stood, what stood against you, and all that was left was eliminating the obstacle. It was all so much tidier than feelings.

"Yuri, why are you making that face?"

Realizing he was grimacing, Yuri hurriedly composed himself and smirked at Flynn.

"Sorry. Just thinking about something totally unrelated."

"Would you please take this seriously? I know I didn't broach the subject in the most dignified way, but I meant what I said. And it's not like you haven't flirted with me plenty over the years."

"The hell I did. When?"

"Do you honestly expect me to remember the details exactly?"

"I guess that depends on how much you love me."

When Flynn surged out of the chair, expression dark with anger, Yuri was sure he'd get the fight he'd been looking for. Instead, Flynn grabbed him by the hair and kissed him fiercely.

In a few steps, Yuri was shoved up against the door, the knob pushing painfully into his back. Flynn's fingers were tangled in the hair at the base of his skull, keeping him from turning his head away, and there was that tongue again, hot and invasive as Flynn deepened the kiss. Yuri felt his friend's hand in his shirt, wrapping around behind him, Flynn's fingers splayed across his back, cool against his skin. Flynn pushed forward, forcing Yuri's legs apart, grinding their hips together until Yuri felt him growing hard and found the strength to shove him away.

They stood there for a moment, barely two steps apart, breathing heavily in a room grown suddenly too small.

"Don't ever doubt that I love you," Flynn said.

"That was supposed to prove something?" Yuri rested a hand on his hip, trying his best to regain his composure, and moved aside.

As he opened the door to leave, Flynn glanced back. "You sound terrible. Make sure you do something about that cold."

He left Yuri standing there, still holding the crumpled poem.

"That idiot. Serves him right if he gets sick, too," Yuri muttered.

* * *

Flynn didn't return over the next few days and Yuri wasn't sure if that was because he was angry or trying to compose another poem. He couldn't decide which notion was worse.

His cold had worsened, leaving him hoarse and battling a fever that soaked his clothes and sheets and turned into chills that made him shiver so violently he feared his bones would break loose from one another. The tiny iron brazier provided nowhere near enough heat and Repede took to sleeping next to Yuri in the bed, offering what comfort he could in the form of warmth.

The fever raged for three days. Yuri had no appetite, and only left the room long enough to bring food and water for Repede. When he felt that the worst had passed, he was still shaky, though from weakness more than chills and his stomach growled ravenously, compelling him to dress and venture out in search of something to eat.

As he walked through the lower quarter, Yuri felt lightheaded and strange. He realized after several minutes that he had forgotten his sword and, though Repede had come with him, and he was safe enough in the city, he felt vulnerable without it. He turned his steps back toward the small room he rented, forgoing breakfast in favor of security.

It was Repede's warning growl that alerted him to danger, and he noticed too late the trio of men that stood blocking the alley he'd chosen as a shortcut. A noise behind him made him look back to see four more approaching, closing him in.

He clenched his fists. He'd been raised on street fights where the only weapons were those you made of your body—fists and feet, knees, elbows, and head if you must. Even without a sword, he could still fight, and Repede kept up a long, angry growl. Anyone who discounted him was a fool.

The men didn't seem to care. They were looking for a fight, faces hard, twisted with malice and banked fury. Most of them had knives. This was not going to end well.

Yuri crouched and swayed on his feet. He had no strength left after the fever. When was the last time he'd eaten anything? Still, he wasn't going down without a fight. He smirked at the nearest of the bunch.

"This is an awful big show of force. You guys scared of one man and a dog? I guess in this case, it's just good sense, though."

One of the men shouted, a strangled cry that had nothing behind it but fury, and the whole group charged. Yuri bared his teeth, ready to go down fighting, when a familiar bellow resounded down the alley.

"Halt! By order of the Imperial Knights!"

The men that had surrounded Yuri were by no means small, but LeBlanc towered a head over the tallest of them. He strode down the alley wearing his customary scowl and projected the feeling that any sort of nonsense would be swiftly and unpleasantly dealt with.

"What is going on here?" He eyed every man in the alley in turn, and Yuri was willing to bet he'd be able to identify any of them at a later date.

Yuri waved at him, grinning. "Morning, LeBlanc."

"I say, this is too much, even against a scoundrel like Yuri Lowell!"

"Shall we show these ruffians a thing or two, sir?"

"Oh, great. Tweedle A and Tweedle B, too." He was never going to live down being rescued by those two.

Had it only been LeBlanc, the men might have pressed their attack. Faced with three knights and a very large, very angry dog, however, they slunk away under LeBlanc's watchful glare. From the looks they shot back at him, Yuri didn't think he'd seen the last of them. Finally, only himself, Repede, and the knights were left in the alley.

"Adecor, Boccos, continue your rounds," LeBlanc ordered. The two saluted and marched off, commenting rather more loudly than necessary on the scene they'd just witnessed.

"Lowell. Just can't stay out of trouble, can you? Even when you aren't breaking the law you're still causing problems for me and my men."

"Never thought I'd see the day when you'd admit I'm innocent."

"This time," he stressed.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but—"

"Get out of the city, Lowell."

"What?" The order stopped him cold. He hadn't even been doing anything wrong this time.

LeBlanc stepped closer and tried to approximate hushed tones. "Things are getting bad around here. People aren't happy about the blastia, they're not happy about the taxes, and a lot of them are not happy about you. Today, you got lucky. It may not happen again."

"Much as I appreciate the warning, LeBlanc, it's kind of creepy to have you looking out for me. I'll be fine."

Yuri was shaking again. The chills were back. He felt dizzy and leaned against the wall to keep from falling, tried to make the pose look natural and unconcerned, but he knew he was holding himself too stiffly to be convincing.

"You're not gonna mention this to Flynn, are you?"

For a long moment, LeBlanc studied him carefully. Then: "I highly doubt that the Commandant has enough free time to read every incident report that crosses his desk."

He turned and left, giving Yuri the opportunity to sag to his knees with no witnesses.

"Guess I'm not over it after all," Yuri whispered. Repede whined and waited while Yuri gathered the strength to pull himself to his feet and begin the walk back.


	9. Idiot

A/N: Set post-game. Warnings for language, eventual spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer; The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

Just as he'd feared, Flynn had caught Yuri's cold. It had been a stupid, stupid thing to do, trying to make some sort of in-sickness-or-health gesture to Yuri, and he was paying the price with a stuffy nose and sore throat. He took a sip of tea, appreciative of the heat and soothing herbs. It hadn't been that bad of a cold, really. He was already getting over it and resolved to visit Yuri again once all signs of his stupidity had disappeared.

A knock at the door pulled his focus away from his paperwork, and he looked up from the page in his hand as Sodia led Lieutenant LeBlanc in.

Flynn settled back in his chair and studied him. He was big, which was the first thing anyone ever noticed upon meeting LeBlanc. The man was like a mountain, huge and steadfast. He wasn't the smartest officer in the Knights, and he had few ambitions, but he was dedicated to maintaining order, and that counted a great deal in his favor in Flynn's estimation of him.

He was also the man in charge of the brigade that protected the citizens of the lower quarter from monsters and, when necessary, from themselves. He rarely felt the need to report in person, so his presence could signify only one thing.

"What's he done this time, Lieutenant?"

"If you're referring to Lowell, sir, he's been quiet as a mouse. I only came to deliver my report for the day to you." He offered up a few sheets of paper.

Curiosity piqued, Flynn accepted the pages. Leblanc had never bothered to hand-deliver a report before.

"Is that all, Lieutenant?"

"Sir, I feel it important to remind you that conditions are worsening in the lower quarter. The people aren't happy, sir, and the sickness going around is only making it worse. Folk have lost a lot of their own. There'll come a breaking point soon."

Flynn nodded solemnly. All his other sources reported much the same thing, but he had no idea what he could do about it. He did his best to send sympathetic brigades to help and protect the citizens living in the lower quarter, but until the Council and the nobility listened to him and realized that there were real human beings suffering in their city and actually deigned to do something about it, things were not going to get better.

"Good work, Lieutenant."

LeBlanc saluted sharply, turned on his heel, and left. Flynn looked down at the report in his hand. It detailed an attack in broad daylight. Thankfully, no one had been hurt, but the intended victim….

He threw the report down and snatched up his coat, dashing out the door. Sodia started to say something and he brushed past her.

"I'm going out for a little while. I'll be back as soon as I can. Have the servants prepare a spare room, as close to mine as possible."

Briefly, he considered seeking out Estellise and taking her with him. In the end, he chose to go alone. If the situation was as unstable as his information suggested, bringing a princess with the ability to heal the wounded into the lower quarter would be a bad idea, indeed.

The streets were still frozen over from that night—was it really less than a week ago?—when Flynn had kissed Yuri for the first time, and he thought briefly that there was something poetic about that given that their relationship had been frozen in this awkward stalemate ever since. Snow drifted down from the flat, gray sky and Flynn pulled his coat closer. The frigid air irritated his throat, making him cough.

He should have known. He'd been told about the illness spreading throughout the lower quarter, a debilitating fever that set in incredibly fast and ravaged those infected. It was claiming lives in the poorer areas of the city where not everyone had money for a doctor and few houses had fireplaces to keep the residents warm.

Yuri should have been able to afford a doctor, but he also had more than his fair share of pride. Had he just ignored the cold until it was out of control? LeBlanc had stated in his report that he'd initially mistaken Yuri as being falling-down-_drunk_. Exactly how badly off was he?

Flynn was worried about Yuri, and as it was Yuri's fault he had to worry, he felt a growing anger towards his friend, as well. How could he be so stupid? Why couldn't he have gone to a doctor, or asked a friend for help? Was it so difficult for him to admit he needed a warm place to sleep while he recovered from a fever?

He was at The Comet in no time, hurrying up the stairs to the room Yuri rented. He didn't bother knocking this time, just barged in, the beginning shot of what he was sure would morph into a full blown shouting match on his lips, and stopped in his tracks.

Yuri was curled up on his bed, crushed against Repede and shaking. He was muttering to himself, nonsensical ramblings about how many candles he should be paid for fighting monsters. His breathing was audibly labored.

Flynn's anger faded. He would save it for another day when it wasn't more important to get Yuri someplace warm where he could recover. As he came to stand next to the bed, he could see that Yuri's hair was plastered to his skin with sweat and his eyes fluttered open and closed, caught as he was in a fever dream. His clothes and sheets were soaked and ice cold.

"You idiot."

Somehow, he managed to get Yuri into his own coat and hoisted him piggyback style to carry him back to the palace. Repede followed along, wagging his tail.

"At least you're thankful for my help," Flynn said to him.

Repede barked in agreement and Flynn smiled.

"We'll have to make him sorry for worrying us like this."

There came a huff of amusement this time, and Flynn said no more, saving his breath for the cold walk home with his burden.


	10. Rambling, Rest, and Recovery

A/N: In which Yuri's issues (finally) come bubbling to the surface, albeit inappropriately.

I'm not sure why people think Yuri actually listened to LeBlanc. He's pretty big on doing things his own way and he doesn't like being forced into things. I don't think he would run away just because of a little social unrest.

Set post-game. Warnings for language, spoilers for the incident at Zaude. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer: The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

Yuri floated in and out of awareness as the fever burned through his system. He knew that people came and went to check on him, help him drink, and change his sweat-soaked clothes, but focus eluded him and time refused to behave normally, slipping away before he could experience the moments, process them, remember what had gone on while he burned and froze and ached. Estelle would be coaxing him to drink a sip of water and he would blink and suddenly she was gone, replaced by Rita and Karol, squabbling. He knew that Raven stopped in at some point, but when Yuri started to ask if he had any new information about the Blood Alliance, he found himself alone in the room. Servants came in to dress him in fresh clothes. Estelle appeared again to put a cold cloth on his forehead. It was freezing, but he couldn't tell her that, didn't have the energy, and anyway, it reminded him of when he would get sick as a child and Flynn's mother would stroke his brow with cool fingers. Judy was there, talking softly with someone he couldn't see, and then he was alone again.

When the fever finally broke, he slept deeply, exhausted from his body's battle with the illness. The strange dreams and nightmares that had plagued him were absent and he rested, really rested, for the first time since the fever had set in.

Estelle was beside him when he woke. She balanced a lap desk across her knees and was holding a book in one hand and making notes on a sheet of paper with the other. She didn't notice Yuri had woken up until he sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

"What the hell am I doing here?"

With a gasp, Estelle practically tossed her work aside and threw her arms around Yuri, apparently unconcerned that he was sorely in need of a bath.

"Oh, Yuri, thank goodness you're awake! I was so worried!"

"Estelle?"

She held him at arm's length, studying him intently. "Are you feeling better? Do you hurt anywhere?" The warm tingle of a healing spell enveloped him as she activated her magic.

"I'm fine." He pushed her hands gently off his shoulders. "Why am I in the palace?"

"Flynn brought you here. He carried you back after he found you. Yuri, you were so sick. For a while we thought…." She bit her lip and took a moment to compose herself until she could smile again. "We were all very worried. Even Rita. Oh! I'm sorry I never thought to check on you before it got this bad. I've been working with Rita to come up with a new way to fight the monsters, something everyone can use."

"Sounds interesting. I'd like to see what you've come up with." Her excitement was contagious, and Yuri couldn't help returning her smile.

"Of course! We're going to have a demonstration in a few days. The final adjustments are almost complete. Rita says that not only will people be able to protect themselves, but that this will create new jobs since many of the components will have to be mined, not to mention the assembly phase—"

"Woah, slow down. You're starting to sound just like Rita when she gets going."

"Oh, goodness. I'm sorry, you must still be really tired. Do you need anything? Water? Food?"

"I'm fine, really." To busy his hands, Yuri fluffed his pillows and tugged at his sheets. Nothing he did made him feel comfortable and when Estelle started trying to help him, he decided that he was just unhappy about being looked after like a toddler.

She looked troubled again, maybe a little more thoughtful than she had a few minutes ago.

"Something on your mind?"

"Oh! Well…um, Yuri…are you and Flynn…okay?"

Yuri looked at her sharply. What had Flynn told her? "What brought that on?"

"It's just…you were sort of babbling—because of the fever—and you said…you said that you wouldn't stay if Flynn loved you. You said it would be too much trouble." She looked up at him with bright, worried eyes.

"Did anyone else hear me?" How much had he said?

"N-no. Just Flynn and me. He didn't say anything but…I think he was really hurt."

Maybe that would be it, then. Maybe Flynn would accept that as Yuri's answer, never mind that he'd had no idea what he was saying at the time, didn't even remember saying it. Maybe now Yuri wouldn't have to say anything more, wouldn't have to see Flynn hurt in order to protect everything they'd both worked for and sacrificed for all these years. He racked his brain, trying to remember if Flynn had been among the people who had visited him, but he couldn't recall seeing that shock of blond hair, that too-neat uniform, those piercing blue eyes. Maybe that had been all it took.

"Flynn's a big boy," Yuri found himself saying. He did _not_ feel guilty. It was better this way. "He'll be fine."

"You say that, but—"

The door opened suddenly, cutting her off, and Flynn entered, carrying a tray laden with piping hot soup, tall glasses of water and a pot of tea and pair of cups.

"Lady Estellise, I brought—oh." Flynn trailed off as his gaze came to rest on Yuri. "You're awake."

Suddenly, Estelle was a flurry of movement, snatching up her things and making some excuse about having kept Rita waiting. She was out the door and gone before Flynn could set the tray down and make his own retreat.

The dishes clinked and rattled as Flynn set them aside and prepared tea for himself and Yuri. The awkwardness between them made the quiet seem absurdly loud. Everything they could have said, should have said, all the possible arguments and assertions, unspoken reasons and recriminations, profanities shouted in anger rather than gasped in passion filled the space between them, rushed in Yuri's pulse, roared in his ears.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Flynn's question was so soft, he almost missed it.

Suddenly, Yuri was scared. What could he say, what could he do that would fix the mess Flynn had made of their relationship? He felt like he would give anything to be able to take back that night, to have stayed at the table and let Flynn stumble drunkenly home alone. It would have made everything so much easier if he just hadn't cared.

"I thought it was just a cold. How was I supposed to know it would knock me on my ass like that?"

"There's no way you didn't know about that fever going around. Why can't you take proper care of yourself?" Since when did it take so long to prepare tea? What was he fussing with?

"Flynn, shut up. I'm fine now, aren't I? Quit treating me like a kid."

Finally, Flynn looked at him, features hardened with anger. "Then stop acting like one. There's no reason you should have gotten that sick. You should have gone to a doctor. You could have come to me."

"Are you going to help everyone in the lower quarter who's suffering from this?"

"Yuri—"

"No. There are people _dying_ from this, Flynn. Good people, who just can't afford the medicine they need or warm blankets to keep from freezing to death. What are you and the Council and the nobility doing about them? You think it's fair to help me while others die?"

"This isn't about what's fair. I can't control what the Council does. I can't force the nobility to help those in need. I did what I could to help you because you've been my friend for as long as I can remember. You're special to me."

"Fuck you." It came out as a whisper, but the effect was immediate. Flynn's eyes widened in surprise, he took a step back.

"Excuse me?"

"It isn't right. You can't treat me differently from everyone just because you have feelings for me."

"Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? Of course I'm going to treat you differently. I love—"

"Stop saying that! You don't get it, Flynn."

"Then explain it to me, because I am getting sick of being stuck in this uncertainty."

"You're the one who knows what's best for everybody. You figure it out."

Yuri crossed his arms and looked away. If he felt he could have stormed out, he would have, but even that little argument with Flynn had been enough to wear him out. Flynn sighed and must have realized that he wouldn't be getting much else out of his friend.

"Eat the soup. You need to get your strength back."

He left then, and Yuri wished desperately that he had the energy to go out and face down a monster or three. He needed a fight he could win.

* * *

Yuri was out of the palace within an hour, much to Estelle's dismay. Although he wasn't nearly back to full strength, there was nothing that could keep him so close to Flynn while he was still seething with emotion from their argument. He used his anger to propel himself step after shaky step until he was back in the lower quarter. He stopped at a street vendor to buy a couple meat pies, one for himself, one for Repede, and sat down on a bench to eat.

It was freezing still, but the cold actually felt good now and that was definitely a positive sign that he was on the mend. He sighed and watched his breath billow out in a cloud of white. Flynn would scold him again for sitting around outside, but Flynn wasn't there and Yuri did not intend to be anywhere near him for a while.

Why did he have to complicate things? They had gotten along just fine for years. Even though Yuri had known for quite some time that he loved Flynn—stupid, righteous, uncompromising Flynn—that had never affected their friendship. Now, all of a sudden, he couldn't even stand to be around his best friend because that idiot had changed things. They'd only just gotten comfortable visiting each other again after all that 'wanted' business, too. And what really pissed him off, what was really absurd and inexcusable and just…just _stupid_…was that Flynn didn't even seem to realize that things had to change between them now.

"I mean, who goes looking for criticism on a love poem from the person they're sending it to?" Repede snorted, and suddenly it was just too funny. Yuri doubled over laughing, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"'I don't know…'" he parroted Flynn's answer about the bells, voice thick with laughter. "'It's s-symbolic or something!'"

You couldn't talk to your best friend about the progress of your confession if your best friend was the one you confessed to. Only Flynn could've pulled off being so casual about something like that. Slowly, the laughter subsided, leaving his ribs aching and his cheeks stinging with cold where the wind blew against the tear tracks.

"That idiot," he said. He couldn't wipe away his smile completely. Maybe it didn't matter. Staying mad at Flynn took entirely too much energy.

"I guess maybe I went a little overboard back there. I'll have to apologize next time. I hate it when he does that, though: when he treats me different because we've known each other for so long. Like when he didn't arrest me, even though he _knew_ I'd killed Ragou. Or when he sent out imperial ships to search for me after Zaude. Ioder did it too, when he pardoned me, and you know what Repede?" Yuri lowered his voice, even though there was no one nearby to hear him. "It scares the hell out of me to think Flynn might have had a hand in that. How is it any different from what Ragou's buddies on the Council did for him?"

Repede had no answer.

"Right. It's not different at all. You understand, don't you? Flynn doesn't always stick to his code of honor when I'm involved. If he doesn't take a step back and think about what he's doing, this path I've chosen is going to end up corrupting him. How's he going to fix the world then?"

Repede whuffed at him and Yuri sighed as he reached to scratch behind his ears. "I guess I just gotta wait it out or something. C'mon, let's get going. It's cold out here."

He was drained by the time he reached his room, but at least his bad mood had vanished. He lit a fire in the brazier and tore the stinking sheets off his bed. Wrapping his long wool coat securely around himself in place of a blanket, he curled up on the bare mattress. He'd have to wash everything he owned tomorrow. At the moment, though, the only thing that mattered was sleep.

He smiled a little as Repede took up his usual position by the foot of the bed.

"G'night, Repede."

* * *

Yuri took it easy over the next few days, regaining his strength and avoiding thoughts of Flynn and the mess that awaited him when they met up again. He knew he'd have to face his friend sooner or later, but there was no way to prepare for Flynn, so he tried his best not to worry about it.

He made a huge pot of stew to share with his landlady and she scolded him for getting sick and worrying her. He visited Hanks who had a cough but swore it wasn't anything to worry about and complained bitterly when Yuri brought a doctor to have a look at him. He slept a great deal, though at night, Repede would wake him up listening to something he couldn't hear, although he could sometimes feel the reverberations of something through his chest that was just too far away or too low to quite be a noise. No one else seemed to have noticed it, though, and it wasn't doing any harm so he ignored the strange non-sounds in the night and rested and healed.

Four days into this routine left him feeling like he was falling back into the life he had led before chasing a blastia thief and meeting Estelle had taken him out of the capital and into the incredible world beyond. He grew antsy and restless, and took to stalking around the town, practically daring anyone to try jumping him again. He could still feel that dangerous undercurrent running through the lower quarter, felt it in the mutters and the stares and averted eyes. People had been talking quite a lot. It would be interesting to hear what stories they had come up with about his involvement in the loss of the blastia.

He got into a fight on the fifth day. Three of the toughs that had surrounded him before found a couple new friends and tried to ambush him again. Yuri didn't come out of the brawl uninjured, but he taught his attackers a lesson about the importance of knowing one's enemy. They wouldn't be coming after him a third time. One of them wouldn't be walking without a limp for a while.

As they fled, Yuri noticed LeBlanc watching from the mouth of a nearby side street. He wasn't sure if the lieutenant had seen everything, but after a moment, the man simply shook his head and walked away. Yuri almost regretted the fight, seeing as it might now become the excuse Flynn needed to dress him down again, but he felt too good after the release to worry about it for long. He whistled as he wandered the streets of the lower quarter.

On the sixth day, Judy stopped by to see him.

"Been enjoying yourself, I see." She tut-tutted over the bruises on his face and arms, but she was smiling and her eyes sparkled with fellow feeling. Being cooped up in the capital for so long was probably starting to drive her crazy as well.

"Well, I can't really say I've been keeping busy, but I like to think I've at least helped clean up around here."

"I shudder to think of what's left of the other guy."

"They'll survive. Hopefully, they'll be wiser for the experience." They shared a smile, knowing that really, you can't fix stupid.

"So, what brings you by? You aren't here to check up on me."

"Actually, I was sent to invite you to the unveiling of Rita and Estelle's new weapon. They're going to be demonstrating it at sunset."

"'Bout time. What is it, anyway?"

She shrugged her shoulders, not bothered by the mystery. "No idea. They've been pretty tight-lipped. Ba'ul says they're responsible for those noises late at night, but Estelle asked him to keep the details a secret."

"And he listened to her over you?"

"Ba'ul would tell me if I asked, but where's the fun in that?"

"Heh. Guess you've got a point. So, where are we headed?"

"We'll be meeting at the cliffs outside of town. Karol and Raven already know, and the girls are out there getting a few things set up." She tapped a finger to her lips. "I don't think anyone's told Flynn, though. Would you mind bringing him by? Estelle wanted to be sure he made it as well."

Yuri sighed. He knew he'd have to face Flynn eventually.

"Sure. I'll head over and see if I can catch him at lunch."

"Good. I'll see you both later, then."

She left then, and Yuri somehow got the distinct impression that her real goal had been to send him off to face Flynn.

"Damn."

He threw on his coat and snatched up his sword. There was nothing for it but to go and hope things turned out for the best.

Repede followed him through town and up to the wall of the tower that housed Flynn's quarters. He watched Yuri begin scaling the wall before he loped off to explore the gardens.

With the ease of long practice, Yuri made the climb in only a couple minutes. Flynn's bedroom window was unlocked, as usual. It occurred to Yuri that it was unlike Flynn to leave a hole in his defenses like that, and he supposed it must speak to the strength of Flynn's affection for him. The thought made him uncomfortable, not least because a part of him was pleased by the idea. Flynn wasn't supposed to compromise for him.

The bedroom was empty and as impeccably clean as always. To maintain that level of order and handle his busy schedule just went to show that Flynn was one of the most disciplined people Yuri knew. It was larger than his old room, of course, but it looked much the same. There was still that beat up old chest containing a few remembrances from his childhood. He still had a picture hanging on the wall that a kid from the lower quarter had drawn of him and Yuri. Flynn was the larger figure in the picture, making it easy to see that he was the kid's favored hero. As it should be.

The only exit—the only _normal_ exit—was a door leading into the Commandant's stateroom. Yuri walked through without hesitation, expecting to find Flynn at his desk, and nearly ran smack into Sodia.

She drew her sword immediately. "_You_! What are you doing here, you—"

"Where's Flynn?"

"The _Commandant_ is out on official business. You've got some gall, sneaking into the palace, you lowlife." She gave him a considering look. "I could finish what I started at Zaude right here. Everyone knows you're a criminal. All I have to say is that you broke in and attacked me and no one would think twice about your death."

"First of all, you couldn't beat me in a fair fight. Second, Flynn would see through you in a second." Smirking unpleasantly, Yuri stepped closer. "You want him to see your true self? I'll go ahead and warn you, since you don't seem to have realized it, but you're no better than I am. I've kept my mouth shut because you're loyal and you play the good little soldier part so well, but make no mistake: neither of us deserves to stand beside him."

"How dare you! I am nothing like you! You're a murderer!"

"If you aren't, it isn't for lack of trying."

"I could have you arrested right now!"

"You know…it's strange, but whenever Flynn mentions you, my stomach starts to hurt." Yuri touched the place where her dagger had sliced through him. "I wonder how long it'll take for him to put two and two together."

"Bastard." Trembling with rage, Sodia fought down the urge to rush him. She had to sheathe her sword or risk giving in and attacking.

"There's a good lieutenant. I'll let you get back to work. When Flynn shows up, tell him I'm here to see him." Yuri turned back to the bedroom. "I'm gonna take a nap."


	11. Closer to You

A/N: I'm terrible at titles. This chapter finally pulls the reason for the title out into the open, but the story's almost over. :/

Set post-game. Warnings for language, tongues in mouths they don't belong to. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer: The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

Sodia was in a foul temper when Flynn returned. She saluted brusquely, scowling, and her eyes kept darting to his bedroom door.

"Something wrong, Sodia?"

"_Lowell_," she spat the name like a curse, "is waiting for you in your room, sir. I tried to send him away, but—"

Flynn sighed. "It's fine. How long has he been here?"

"A few hours. He said he was going to take a nap." Her lip curled in a sneer.

"Thank you, Sodia. Good work today. You can head home and get some rest."

For a moment, he thought she might argue with him, but as he began stripping off his armor, she saluted sharply, spun on her heel, and left him alone as he divested himself of the trappings of his office.

Yuri was indeed asleep when Flynn looked in on him. Quietly, he eased the door closed and crept over to the bed. The setting sun cast a warm glow over the room that belied the wintry afternoon outside and brought to mind all sorts of embarrassingly poetic descriptions that Flynn discarded as he looked down at his friend. Never a composed sleeper, Yuri was sprawled on his back, one leg hanging off the bed. He was snoring softly.

Fresh bruises were stark on his face. He'd been fighting again.

He'd certainly made himself at home. He hadn't taken off his shirt, but his boots and belt had been tossed carelessly on the floor and his coat lay in a heap on the chair. Flynn wondered momentarily if Yuri was tempting him, then noticed the sword by Yuri's side, the straps tied to its sheath wrapped around his fingers even in sleep. So. Not as at ease as he'd first thought.

_He knows how I feel about him, and goes and lays himself out on my bed waiting for me to return._ Maybe Yuri hadn't left himself totally defenseless, but still Flynn felt his restraint was being unfairly tested.

Kneeling next to the bed, he watched the steady rise and fall of Yuri's chest. The edge of that unsettling scar he'd noticed at The Comet the other night was just visible, and Flynn reached out, pushing Yuri's shirt away to take a closer look.

The second his fingers touched the scar, Yuri was awake, sitting up, ready to draw his sword. He recognized Flynn in the next moment and the tension that had filled him at that simple touch drained away.

"Flynn." Yuri ran a hand through his hair. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I was about to try waking you with a kiss."

"Right. And that's why you had your hand in my shirt."

"Admittedly, I got a little distracted."

"'Distracted.'" Yuri echoed, dryly.

"Mm. By that scar of yours."

Flynn slowly ran his hands up Yuri's chest, over his shoulders, pushing his shirt off and down and away, stripping the entire upper half of Yuri's body bare. He stared, watching the expansion and contraction of breath, picking out scars he recognized from their childhood, from their short time in the Knights together. There were new ones, scars he could recognize by familiarity of having treated similar wounds. Here was a sword slash. There, a gash left by something with claws.

He wondered why he was being allowed to continue as he let his hands wander unhurriedly over warm flesh. He wanted to explore every inch of Yuri's skin, every scar. He wanted to know what Yuri tasted like, what noises he would make if Flynn kissed him here, touched him there. There were things they needed to talk about, but he was too caught up in the moment, too distracted….

Curious, he rose up and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on Yuri's lips. He didn't notice any change in Yuri's expression, didn't feel any reciprocation in the kiss, but when he pulled back he could see the tension in Yuri's arms, see his white-knuckled grip on the sheets. Realizing Flynn had noticed, Yuri immediately tried to relax, but he'd already given himself away.

Flynn kissed his neck, sucking a little at the delicate skin. One of his hands rested on Yuri's hip. He moved the other slowly down Yuri's chest until he felt the outline of that one particular scar under his fingertips.

"How did this happen?" he murmured, tracing the clean line of the wound.

"I let my guard down, is all. Didn't see it coming."

"You've never been that careless." This time when their lips met, Yuri kissed back. He even went so far as to reach up and bury his fingers in the hair at the base of Flynn's skull, holding him close.

He'd been right. Yuri was only trying to keep him from asking about the scar. That he'd use the attraction between them as a distraction was pretty low, though. Flynn pulled back, smiling grimly. Two could play at that game.

"Yuri, this looks like a knife wound. Someone would have had to approach you directly with a blade to cause this." He curled his fingers around a phantom dagger and mimed pushing it in between Yuri's ribs. He felt the shudder as his fist pushed up against Yuri's flesh, and he opened his hand, spreading his fingers out across warm skin. "Who did you trust enough to allow this close?"

"Cut it out." Yuri knocked Flynn's hand aside. "If you're done playing grab-ass—"

Flynn lunged onto the bed, barreling into Yuri and pushing him back down onto the mattress. He settled his weight over his friend, pinning him down, enjoying the surprise that had finally broken Yuri's indifferent mask.

"You know perfectly well that I'm not looking for some casual fling with you. Your choices are: tell me about the scar, or keep quiet and enjoy what I'm about to do."

"And what would that be?"

"This, for starters." He ground his hips against Yuri's, savoring the friction that sent a tingling shiver up his spine. Yuri wasn't unaffected, either. He sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes fluttered closed. Before he came back to his senses, Flynn sealed Yuri's mouth with his own.

This kiss, their fifth, wasn't so chaste. This kiss involved tongues and teeth and gasping breaths and a quiet groan because those bruises must still hurt and Yuri, after a frozen moment at the start, actually kissing _back_, hesitantly at first, then with a need growing to match Flynn's own.

They were too close for Flynn to touch the way he'd wanted, and he felt a fleeting moment of disappointment that was overcome and forgotten in light of the fact that Yuri was _kissing_ him and apparently enjoying it quite a lot. He was just starting to think that his own shirt really needed to come off when Yuri moaned and arched up against him. Already tangled in Yuri's hair, Flynn's hands clenched into fists.

"Ow! What the hell, Flynn?"

"Sorry." He kissed the curve of Yuri's jaw. "That was your fault, though."

"Fuck you." Despite his words, his tone lacked bite.

"I dearly hope so," Flynn murmured, kissing along Yuri's neck.

"Woah, hey. Hang on, Flynn. I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself."

He nuzzled Yuri's collarbone and trailed wet kisses over his chest that made him shiver. Experimentally, he licked one of Yuri's nipples. It was stiff under his tongue and caused Yuri to make a very interesting noise deep in his throat. He circled it with his tongue before locking his lips around it and, very gently, testing, bit.

This time, Yuri gasped when he arched his back. Flynn took the opportunity to slide a hand underneath him, slipping it down to Yuri's ass and squeezing.

"Enough."

Flynn pressed on, kissing a line straight down Yuri's stomach. He reached the waist of Yuri's pants, riding dangerously low on his hips, and started to pull the hindering fabric out of the way.

"Get the hell off me!" It was all the warning he got before Yuri shoved him away roughly and sat up. They stared at each other for a minute, each trying to compose himself.

Flynn was the first to break the silence.

"I thought I'd been doing fairly well."

"I didn't come here for that. I came to deliver a message. And apologize for last time, I guess."

"Fine. Apology accepted." He leaned in closer until his nose was a hair's breadth from Yuri's. "I want to kiss you again."

"Too bad." Yuri sat up and pulled his shirt back on. He wrapped his belt around his waist, tied it at the small of his back, and fiddled with the drape of his shirt. Flynn watched all of this with a mixture of fascination and acute frustration.

"Maybe you're okay switching back and forth between being my friend and trying to shove your tongue down my throat, but it's not so easy for me."

"Easy? You think this is easy for me?" Flynn stood, advancing on Yuri. "Let me tell you something, Yuri Lowell, being in love with you is probably the most maddening thing that has ever happened to me. You are contrary, stubborn, and absolutely infuriating. You kiss me one minute, and tell me to go to hell the next. I don't know what you're thinking anymore."

"If it's so much trouble, why bother?"

"Ask me why I breathe, Yuri. Ask me why my heart beats. It isn't something I can control, it just is. If you want the truth, I do sometimes wish I wasn't in love with you. It would make things so much simpler." He reached out to touch Yuri's bruised cheek. Gentle as he was, Yuri still winced.

"It would make things simpler," he repeated, softly, "but I can't think of anyone I'd rather have fallen in love with. I am so proud to call you my friend, Yuri. You can't imagine how much it would mean to me if you accepted how I feel about you."

"You aren't supposed to be in love with me, you ass. What kind of Commandant shares his bed with a murderer? If you're going to change things, you have to be above reproach."

"We were supposed to change things _together_."

"Wake up, Flynn. We aren't children anymore. Things aren't that easy."

"What are you saying? Less than a year ago, you saved the world."

"That's just it. I _saved_ the world. I can't change it, not like you can."

"Yuri…."

"Flynn, I am counting on you. I still believe in what we talked about as kids, but I can't help you reach it. I'm not a part of that dream anymore."

"Yuri, you have to forgive yourself for—"

"I don't need forgiveness! What I did was necessary. I don't regret it and if I had to make the choice once more or a hundred times more, I'd do it again. One day, I probably will. I believe you can change things, Flynn, but I'm not such an idiot that I think it'll happen overnight. There'll be more like Ragou and Cumore and, until you can build a world where their kind will be punished by law, I'll make sure beasts like them are put down. I will protect this world, Flynn, so that one day you can change it."

He meant every word, Flynn was sure about that. His eyes were fever-bright and deadly serious. This was Yuri's conviction, the belief that guided his actions and kept the two of them apart, and it was so _wrong_ that Flynn could not find the place to begin refuting it.

Yuri pulled on his coat and picked up his sword. "Estelle and the others are waiting for us at the cliffs. Their new weapon is ready for a demonstration."

He didn't wait for Flynn to respond, just left without another word, vanishing silently out the window. Flynn sat down heavily on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands. Typically, the only thing Yuri had left in his wake was chaos: Flynn's thoughts were in turmoil, even his bed was in disarray.

He slumped over, burying his face in sheets that still smelled like Yuri. Breathing deeply, he remembered the feel of hair tangling around his fingers, of Yuri's tongue sliding against his own, of Yuri's lean body beneath him, of the heat and pressure and _need_ that had been building between them.

Yuri was infuriating and amazing and Flynn wouldn't—couldn't—give him up. He meant too much, and this new thing their relationship was becoming was too important to end without a fight.

Mind whirling, Flynn grabbed up his coat and left to join Yuri and the others.


	12. Fireworks

A/N: When I wrote this, neither my friend nor I could recall any use of explosives or fireworks that weren't blastia-related in the game. Recently, though, I read a fic where there were fireworks, so now I don't know. Please assume for the sake of this story that chemical explosives are a new technology in Terca Lumireis.

Set post-game. Warnings for language. Contains Fluri for sure, Ristelle if you like.

Disclaimer: The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

The sun still hadn't set and the wind blowing across the top of the cliff was already freezing cold and made the flames of the torches Estelle and Rita held flicker wildly. By full dark it would be nearly unbearable, and Yuri found himself wishing for some proper gloves and a scarf. He wondered again why Estelle and Rita had chosen such a late hour for their demonstration, but they weren't answering any questions yet.

"When's the show startin'? This ol' man can't take much more of bein' out in this awful weather. Brrrr!" Raven shivered theatrically and rubbed his arms.

"We can't begin yet," Estelle said. "Flynn still isn't here."

"Yuri, did you even bother to tell him? Estelle and I have been slaving over this. The least you could do is make sure everyone who's supposed to show up actually does."

"I don't know what's keeping him. I thought he was right behind me."

"Well, he's got about five minutes before I—"

"Here he comes now." Everyone turned when Judy spoke and, sure enough, there was Flynn just a little ways out.

"You're late," Rita snapped once he was within hearing distance.

"I'm sorry. I've been a bit preoccupied lately."

He glanced at Yuri who was carefully devoting the entirety of his attention to buttoning his coat. He couldn't believe everything he'd said. Oh, Flynn was going to have something to say to him about all that, no question. Probably several somethings that Yuri really didn't want to hear.

The world needed to change—_Yuri_ needed it to change, even if he didn't have a place in it afterward—and it had to be Flynn that changed it. He was the only one strong enough, the only one with enough honor to do the job right. The whole world would be better off if he kept his distance and didn't tarnish Flynn's reputation and diminish his influence.

And he'd tried so hard, he really had, to hold himself back when Flynn had kissed him, but then that idiot was asking about the wound Sodia had given him at Zaude and Yuri needed a distraction—any distraction—because that was another conversation he really did not want to have with Flynn, and it had been too easy, too tempting to just go along with the touches, the kisses, because he wanted them too, even if he knew he shouldn't. And it was only for a minute, only long enough to distract Flynn….

"Let's get started, then," Rita commanded. "We'll have to find some monsters."

The party set out along the cliff face, watching and listening for anything that might be lurking nearby intent on making a meal of them. Karol shifted his grip on his sword nervously. He still wasn't entirely used to fighting without blastia. Judy and Raven seemed untroubled by the thought of seeking out monsters in the growing darkness. Flynn, of course, would be nothing less than one hundred percent confident.

"I'm surprised we haven't been attacked yet," Yuri said after a few minutes.

"They're learning to avoid this area." Rita's smile was coldly self-satisfied as she patted a bulging shoulder bag.

Yuri bit his tongue to keep from asking what was inside. There were only so many times he could be put off by a smug 'You'll see' before being sorely tempted to snatch the bag away and examine its mysterious contents himself.

Thankfully, a monster chose that moment to attack them.

Repede barked and a huge wolf stepped out of the trees several yards ahead, growling ferociously. Judy and Raven suddenly had their weapons in hand, ready in case anything went wrong with what Rita had in store.

"Yuri, make sure Repede stays back!" Estelle watched to make sure the dog wasn't going anywhere as Rita pulled a fist-sized black sphere out of her bag. There was a string coming out of it, which she lit with her torch.

"This is gonna be loud," she called, and hurled the thing at the approaching monster.

It hit the ground a few steps shy of the charging wolf and everyone held their breath for a moment. Then, just as the beast was dashing past, the little sphere exploded with a clap like thunder and a great deal of smoke. The wolf dropped. When the air cleared and the party stepped forward to see what had happened, it was obvious the weapon had done its job. The wolf was dead.

"Wow, Rita! What was that?"

"A bomb. I made it by mixing up a powdered explosive and sealing it in these little shells. When the fuse burns down, POW! No more monster."

She passed around some of the bombs, allowing everyone to examine them.

"Handy. Kind of a pain that you have to be in so close to use the things, though. Seems kinda dangerous." Raven considered the bomb thoughtfully. "Ya think you could somehow launch these things from a cannon or somethin', like they had on the Heracles? Maybe even a little version that people could mount on a wagon for travelin'?"

"Oh, yeah, that sounds like a _great_ idea. Let's stick some highly combustible projectiles into a long metal tube and see what happens. Good luck with that. Lemmie know how it works out for you."

Raven sulked and kept any other ideas he might have had to himself.

"This seems very promising," Flynn said, "but I still don't understand why you wanted to hold your demonstration so late."

"Oh! That's because of my contribution," Estelle explained, smiling. "It's set up back where we started."

Night was fully upon them by the time they arrived back at the section of the cliffs where they had met up.

"You see, different chemicals will burn at different speeds and in different colors. If you change around Rita's formula a little and package it differently you get…well, watch the sky. It's better to see it."

With unconcealed excitement, Estelle picked up the end of a fuse that had been lying in the grass. It trailed off into a rocky outcropping some distance away, and Yuri watched the spark eat along the length of rope until Estelle poked him in the side.

"Look at the sky," she repeated. "You'll miss it."

A second later there was a noise, a screeching, steaming noise, as the flame reached one of Estelle's creations and sent it shooting up into the air. It trailed smoke and light and when it exploded high above their heads, the night was suddenly and briefly awash in color.

"I call them fireworks."

"That was _so cool_!" Karol exclaimed. "It was like magic, but without the magic!"

Rita scoffed. "It's called science, bonehead."

"Science," he repeated, awed. "Hey, Estelle! Do you have any more?"

"Yes. I set up several." She lit a few more fuses, pausing a few seconds between each one, and in moments, fiery chrysanthemums were blooming against the bleak winter sky.

"I know they aren't as useful as what Rita made, but…."

"I think they're plenty useful," Judy said. "These will lift people's spirits. Doesn't that make your fireworks something wonderful?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Judith."

There were still a handful of fireworks left to launch. Estelle lit them, slowly, drawing out the show as long as she could. While everyone else's attention was focused on the sky, Flynn took Yuri by the hand and led him into the shadows of a small stand of trees.

"Estelle's gonna be mad that we're missing her fireworks." Flynn ignored that, of course.

"I've been thinking about what you said, Yuri, and I don't accept it. I'm going to keep our promise to change this world, and I'm not going to sacrifice what we have between us to do it. If you say it's up to me to change things, that's fine. I'll be sure to build a world where you have a place to belong."

"Flynn—" He forgot what he had been about to say as Flynn kissed him, soft and slow and sweet. It didn't last long, and Yuri supposed he'd just been trying to shut him up, or maybe make some kind of point. They rejoined the others as the last of the fireworks were fading. Only Judy seemed to have noticed they'd been gone, and the knowing smile Yuri saw on her face left him blushing like none of Flynn's kisses had. He wondered how much she knew or suspected.

Whatever. Nothing was going to happen between them anyway. There wasn't anything Flynn could do to change his mind.

* * *

Raven came by to visit him the next morning, making Yuri immediately suspicious. Everyone had been so busy with their own errands in town that he'd barely seen any of them except when they'd all gotten together at The Comet and then again for the bombs and fireworks last night. Both get-togethers had ended with really awkward encounters with Flynn. After Judy had dropped in to see him the day before, he'd wound up bearing his soul. Whatever it was that Raven wanted from him could not possibly end well.

They chatted about Rita and Estelle's inventions, which was interesting, but obviously not why he had stopped by. He hinted at tea and Yuri went down to The Comet's kitchen to oblige him. Carrying the tea back to his room, Yuri hoped Raven would either get to the point or get out. He was in no mood for games. He wanted to be doing something.

Yuri poured the tea in silence, thinking Raven would feel more obliged to fill it. He leaned against the desk and took a sip from his own cup when, out of the blue—

"So I hear you and the Commandant are knockin' boots."

—and suddenly, Yuri's mouthful of tea was all over Raven.

"Really? Ya had to spit it on me?" He searched in vain for a handkerchief while Yuri coughed and spluttered.

"W-what did you say?" Yuri finally managed. Had Judy been telling stories?

"Heard it from some knights. They were sayin' Flynn went and announced to all and sundry that you were to be welcomed into the palace whenever you wanted and that, as his lover, you were to be treated with all respect due the wife of the Commandant."

"'Wife?' He said '_wife_?'" This had to be a nightmare. Any second he would wake up, and then he could laugh about it…and move to Dahngrest permanently. Just in case.

"Well, ya can't get married, obviously, but apparently he said you were to be treated as such. The council's in an uproar. A couple of 'em are sayin' he ain't fit for the job."

"That _idiot_." Yuri grabbed his sword and bolted out the door, leaving Raven sitting at the desk.

What had Flynn done? What had he been thinking? After everything Yuri had worked for, everything he had become while he cleaned up the messes Flynn couldn't…was Flynn going to let the world sink deeper into rot and corruption after all Yuri had sacrificed?

Furious, Yuri raced through the streets to the palace. Things had gone too far. He was going to get the fight he'd been looking for.

Flynn was at the little desk in his bedroom when Yuri hauled himself through the window. He didn't even bother to look up from the paper he was reading.

"What the hell have you done?"

"I've done a lot of things. Just this morning I reassigned extra troops to protect the entrance to the city in the lower quarter from increased monster activity." He thought for a second. "I also skipped breakfast."

"This isn't a game, Flynn! I'm talking about your announcement to the Knights and the Council. Raven says they think you aren't fit for the job."

"Oh, that." He looked up finally, calm and perfectly serious. "Your main argument was that if an affair with you was discovered it would undermine my integrity, wasn't it? Honestly Yuri, for someone who says he believes in me, you don't seem to have much faith in my abilities. If I can't love who I want _and_ change the world, I wouldn't be much of a leader. As for the Council...the ones complaining didn't like me much anyway. They would have come up with something on their own. I won't be beaten by them."

_I'm not worth risking our hopes for this world._ He couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. "You're twisting my words."

"I am dealing with the situation as I was given to understand it. If you have any other objections, I'm willing to listen. As things stand, your continued stubbornness will only make me a liar."

"You did that all on your own."

Something in his expression softened. "I do love you, Yuri. That was never a lie."

"You're a devious bastard, you know that?"

"I learned from the best."

It was cheating. Flynn was forcing his hand and he knew it, had risked everything to do it. Yuri had never wanted to hit him more than he did at that moment. He lashed out, but Flynn must have been expecting it and dodged as he got to his feet. Yuri spun, tried again to get a decent punch in, but Flynn grabbed him by the arm and used Yuri's own momentum to flip him onto his back and drop him to the floor.

"You can start a fight if you want. I won't go easy on you." He watched as Yuri picked himself up and started to climb out the window. "Where are you going?"

"I need to think." He couldn't look at him anymore, had to get away, put some distance between them.

To his credit, Flynn didn't ask when he would be back.


	13. Swear to Me

A/N: Final chapter of what was originally supposed to be _a drabble_. Yuri does not have a romantic bone in his body. It's a good thing my version of Flynn doesn't seem to mind.

I was going to try and finish an essay on my interpretation of Yuri's character before I posted the end of this story, but then I figured that if anyone disagrees with my interpretation it's because they've got their own or because I didn't expand on the context clues well enough, so there's not much point in explaining. Oh, well. I may pop it up on my Tumblr if I finish it, anyways. Because I'm a nerd.

Disclaimer: The characters and settings in this story are borrowed from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

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To his credit, Flynn didn't ask if he would be back.

He wanted to. He was afraid he might have pushed too far, but he had to trust Yuri, had to believe he would return. They didn't have anything if they couldn't trust each other.

So he waited, one day, then two and three. He kept himself busy to avoid thinking and drowning that small hope that everything would work out for the best. It wasn't easy.

Working with Sodia was particularly difficult as he couldn't help but remember how violently opposed she had been to his orders concerning Yuri. She justified herself by calling him a criminal and a murderer and Flynn said nothing because he couldn't refute those words. When she moved on to insults, he dismissed her for the day and she actually ignored him and continued spewing abuse until he threatened to suspend her from duty. There was something between those two and one day, when it wasn't too tiring to think about Yuri, he was going to find out what it was.

On the evening of the fourth day after Yuri had confronted him about his lie, Flynn returned to his room after dinner to find his friend waiting for him. He paused just inside the door, then shook off his surprise and went about stripping off his uniform.

"Good evening, Yuri. You are more than welcome to use the main entrance."

"Your knights look at me funny when I do," he muttered.

Flynn laughed. He couldn't help it. "You've been antagonizing them for years. Of course they're going to look at you funny if they think you're sleeping with their Commandant."

"What are you gonna do when that starts affecting their conduct?"

It was a challenge, no mistake, and Flynn met it with one of his own. "The next time you break the law, I will come and arrest you personally. You have my word on it."

"This doesn't mean I'll hesitate to handle a problem my way if you can't solve it."

"I'll just have to make sure it doesn't come to that, then."

"And if it does? Ioder and Estelle may not pardon me again, Flynn. They shouldn't have done so in the first place. If this is going to be a just world, you can't make exceptions, even for me."

"Yuri…."

"Swear it." Yuri had closed the distance between them until they were no more than a deep breath away. Flynn met his gaze steadily. "I mean it, Flynn. You can't put this," he gestured to the two of them, "before the world. You can't compromise for me or for anybody. Swear it to me."

"All right." He placed a fist over his heart. "I swear it."

Dropping his gaze from Flynn's, Yuri sighed. He seemed to deflate. Standing there, he looked tired.

"You look like you lost a battle," Flynn said quietly.

His smirk was bitter, rueful. "I've been fighting this for a long time." He stretched suddenly, expression easing to something more peaceful. "Guess I lost to you again."

Flynn reached out, ran a hand through long, black hair that reminded him of raven's wings.

"I'm not quitting Brave Vesperia."

"I wouldn't ask you to."

"It means I'll be gone a lot. I'm not gonna be sitting around in the lower quarter waiting for you to drop in."

"Heaven forbid. I'd rather you visit me here when you're in town, anyway. My bed is much more comfortable."

Yuri looked at him sharply at that, laughed shortly, and reached down to toy with the soft bed sheets.

"Fortune's Market offered us a job. We're leaving tomorrow."

That was a bit more sudden than Flynn had expected. "So the reason you came here tonight was to let me know you'd be gone?"

For a moment, Yuri stared at him, considering. Then, heaving a sigh, he shook his head, grabbed Flynn by the collar, and pulled him in for a kiss.

It was sloppy and wet and wonderful and left Flynn feeling a little dazed when Yuri eventually pulled away. He was smirking and Flynn watched him lick his lips, following the movement as if mesmerized.

"Been wanting to do that for years," Yuri murmured, and Flynn heard the echo of his own words that night outside The Comet.

Yuri would leave and return, Flynn would be kept busy with his own work until he could steal a few hours off. Whatever might happen, they had that night, and they had the rest of their lives to find more nights, more moments together that maybe would be filled with something more important than arguing.

They kissed again, fell together onto the bed, and Flynn knew somehow that they would make this work. They were both too stubborn to do anything else.


End file.
